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IHA’s blog features informative posts written to keep the housewares industry educated and informed about key strategic issues and IHA member services.

Retail Profile: Kitchenworks & Gourmet Gifts

Retail Profile: Kitchenworks & Gourmet Gifts Location: Litchfield, Ct. Founded: 1979 Owner: Elizabeth Ericksen Square footage: 1,000 sq. ft. When Elizabeth Ericksen bought the long-established Kitchenworks in 2008, she also took over a store with a fairly basic approach to retailing. Her work was cut out for her. “We changed the layout and way things were…

Derek Miller Named President of IHA

Derek Miller has been named president of the International Housewares Association, succeeding Phil Brandl who will retire at the end the year, IHA announced today. Miller, currently IHA’s vice president, global marketing, will assume the role of president Oct. 1. Brandl will remain at IHA through Dec. 31. Miller was selected by a unanimous vote of the IHA Executive…

2018 Global Honoree – Harrods

By Michelle Hespe Harrods needs no introduction, however, many people might not realize how progressive and innovative Harrods Home has become in recent years. No words are minced when it comes to the mission statement of Harrods. The iconic store’s goal is “to be the number one department store in the world for luxury branded merchandise, maintaining an unprecedented…

Wayfair/CastleGate: European e-Market Overview

As a preview to the upcoming IBC Global Forum, to follow is additional information on the European e-Market session presented by Evangeline Wiles, Associate Director, Wayfair/CastleGate: Wayfair’s order fulfillment and logistics division, CastleGate, partners with suppliers to provide access to a portfolio of services, including inventory management and reporting,…

Ships From Asia to U.S. Are Full

Shippers have become accustomed to seeing space on container ships in the Transpacific trade fill up during the traditional peak shipping season, but the current Asia to U.S. market is experiencing something much more than a traditional peak season. The majority of the space on ships is already sold out for the entire month of August. No one could have predicted the severity…

Stats: Parents Fear Higher Back-to-School Costs

Many gourmet retailers look to back-to-school sales as a nice little bump for the bottom line before the fourth quarter. Think fancy lunch boxes and water bottles for the younger crowd and starter sets of tabletop and kitchenware for those setting off to college for the first time. Back-to-School is also a good time to get Mom into the store--maybe to have a little fun in…

Lakeland: Key UK Retailer Update

As a preview to the upcoming IBC Global Forum, to follow is additional information on the Key UK Retailer session presented by Samm Swain, Buying & Merchandising Director for Lakeland: With more than 50 years of operating a successful business, Lakeland is a renowned home and housewares retailer in the UK. In addition to their online business, Lakeland runs 68 stores…

Trends: Frozen Foods Get Hot

Despite the much-vaunted farm-to-table movement among the foodie crowd, frozen foods are gaining in popularity with home cooks. This comes as frozen food manufacturers branch out into different cuisines and have improved flash-freezing technology, and as food bloggers (especially those appealing to millennials) have added recipes geared to frozen foods on their websites.…

Works Like Teen Spirit

Even as many small retailers struggle to fill staff positions in a tight labor market, one demographic group store owners tend to shy away from is teenagers. They shy away from teens despite the fact that retail was the traditional way for teenagers to earn money during the summer, with teens often continuing to hold down those part-time jobs throughout the school year. But…